PONTYPRIDD V BEDWAS (Tomorrow)

BEDWAS will need to reproduce the defensive steel that got their season off to a flier when they head to a ground where they have never won, writes Chris Kirwan.

The Bridge Field outfit kicked off their campaign with a 22-16 win against Carmarthen Quins thanks to replacement flanker Rob Carter’s last-gasp try.

It ended a run of seven Premiership losses and means they head into tomorrow’s encounter with champions Pontypridd at Sardis Road’s ‘House of Pain’ in fine spirits. “I was over the moon with the win against Quins,” said head coach Steve Law.

“Everybody puts a lot of hard work in over pre-season but anything can happen in that first game.

“It’s all about the win, getting a confidence boost and building momentum for the first month.

“We didn’t actually play particularly well, there were far too many unforced errors which meant Carmarthen had a lot of ball.

“It was our defence that kept us in the game and that says a lot about the effort, endeavour, attitude and camaraderie of this group.”

Ponty were also victors on opening day thanks to an away 28-3 success at Cross Keys that was actually more convincing than the scoreline suggests.

“Ponty are the elite squad outside of professional rugby,” said Law.

“Sardis Road is a tough place to go but we are not frightened by it and will embrace the challenge.

“But we are under no illusions that we will have to perform to our maximum ability to stand a chance of getting a result.”

With six fixtures in the first month of the season, Bedwas will rotate their squad and give chances to players that were pipped to starting spots against Quins.